We're in a budget crunch right now and can't afford a lot of the good stuff we usually buy. I do notice a difference in supermarket bacon vs. pastured though, and I wish I didn't because I'd love to run down to Piggly Wiggly and buy the cheap bacon right now, but instead we're just going without it for a bit.

I don't think the nitrates are that huge of a deal, I read somewhere that orange juice negates it anyway. I'm more concerned about the source of the meat (factory farmed, likely fed GMO grains) than the nitrates. Oscar Mayer has a nitrate-free bacon out now, but after finishing a pack of it last week I noticed that it gives me the same queasy feeling that eating crap food cooked in soybean/canola oil does--weird mouth feel, craving carbonation or something acidic to wash it down, etc. The bacon grease leftover from it was also different in consistency than the grease from the pastured bacon I usually get from a local farm. It was weird enough that I just tossed it instead of adding it to my stash.

Once we can afford it again, it's back to the more expensive local stuff--the savings on the Oscar Mayer nitrate-free stuff wasn't that worth it considering that I tossed the bacon grease, a cooking staple in our household. We used to be able to get "ends and scraps" from a farm where we used to live, it cost half as much as regular sliced bacon. Same meat, just irregular bits and pieces. Maybe you can find something like that instead?

Nitr*tes seem fine ... the keep us from dying of botulism. Read somewhere that the industrial sourced ones were better as the consistency allows very precise addition, as opposed to celery salt/juice which, while sounding better, is less predictable and so potentially extra is added to be sure there is enough.

Sourcing of the pork is likely an issue w oscar meyer but it sure taste good.

While good bacon is definitely primal, it is NOT paleo (officially, bacon is an acceptable paleo treat, but they're scared of saturated fat) - just had to throw this in as all the paloe folks I know don't seam to understand this and their ignorance (not their stance on bacon) bugs me.

aside from the questionable sourcing of the pork for the bacon(we can't all afford grass fed super premium meat sources) is it really all that bad?

these are the ingredients:

Cured with: Water , Salt , Sugar , Sodium Ascorbate , Sodium Nitrite

seems to be standard fare for store bought bacon of any variety.

Watch the documentary Food Inc. and read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. It's best to avoid meat produced by the industrial food chain. Try to buy meat from animals raised on their natural diets in healthy environments i.e from local farmers. If it's too expensive, eat less.